NATIONAL SCHOOL OF 

BRIDGES and HIGHWAYS 

PARIS, FRANCE 

"L'ECOLE NATIONALE DES FONTS ET CHAUSSEES" 

OF THE 
CORPS DES FONTS ET CHAUSSEES 



BY 

MAJ. WILLIAM D. CONNOR 

CORPS OF ENGINEERS. U. S. ARMY 





WASHINGTON 
1913 



NATIONAL SCHOOL OF 

BRIDGES and HIGHWAYS 

PARIS, FRANCE 

"L'ECOLE NATIONALE DES FONTS ET CHAUSSEES" 

, OF THE 

CORPS DES PONTS ET CHAUSSEES 



BY 

MAJ. WILLIAM D. CONNOR 

CORPS OF ENGINEERS. U. S. ARMY 







WASHINGTON 
1913 



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D. OF D. 
MAR 29 1913 






NATIONAL SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, 

FRANCE. 

"L'EcoLE Nationale des Fonts et Chaussees," Corps des Fonts et Chaussbes, 



The corps of engineers of the French Republic known as the corps 
des ponts et chaussees, whose duties are similar to the civil duties of 
the Corps of Engineers, United States Army, is divided into two 
bodies, engineers and conductors. The engineers, in general terms, 
are charged with the design and administration of the works assigned 
to the corps, and the conductors have charge, under the engiaeers, 
of the work in the field, the superintendence, inspection, and con- 
struction, but are not ordinarily charged with the design or adminis- 
tration of works. The engineers correspond to the officers of the 
Corps of Engineers of our Army and the conductors to the assistant 
engineers and junior engineers and inspectors of the Engineer Depart- 
ment at Large. Occasionally conductors of the higher grades are 
assigned as acting engineers and have the corresponding duties, and a 
few are from time to time promoted to the actual grade of engineer. 

Both bodies are permanent organizations provided by law to carry 
on the part of the pubhc works of France assigned to the corps des 
ponts et chaussees, but the recruitment, promotion, and retirement 
of each are entirely separate, and each goes on, in the two bodies, 
independently of the other. 

CONDUCTORS. 

The conductors are divided into five grades, as follows : 

Sub engineers. 
Principal conductors. 
Conductors of the first class. 
Conductors of the second class.' 
Conductors of the third class. 

They are recruited for the corps entirely by competitive examina- 
tion, and there is no special school maintained for their education 
and preparation for the position. In 1908 there were approximately 
2,193 conductors and subengineers employed in the corps. 

ENGINEERS. 

The engineers are divided into seven grades, as follows : 

No. in 1908. 

Inspectors general of the first class 1 09 

Inspectors general of the second class J 

Chief engineers of the first class 1 ^24 

Chief engineers of the second class / 

Ordinary engineers of the first class ] 

Ordinary engineers of the second class [ 294 

Ordinary engineers of the third class j 

.3 



4 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

In 1908 there were approximately the number in each grade shown 
opposite the names of the grades in the above list. 

necruitment. — They are recruited in two ways: First, from the 
engineer graduates of the National School of Bridges and Highways 
(Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaussees), and, second, by means of 
promotion, after competitive examinations, from the ranks of the 
conductors. 

All new engineers are first appointed ordinary engineers of the 
third class. Engineer students of the national school upon satis- 
factorily completmg the course and graduating are at once appointed 
to that ^rade. Conductors are thus appointed upon promotion. 
The requirements for direct promotion are that the conductor shall 
have served 12 years in that capacity and shall pass a satisfactory 
examination before the board appointed for that purpose. The 
examination covers much the same ground as that included in the 
examinations for passage and graduation from the Ecole des Fonts 
et Chaussees. This method of entrance to the corps has long been 
in force, but the difficulties of the examination have operated to 
keep the number of those who come from the grade of conductor, 
without graduating from the national school, exceedingly small. 
The law of 1850 provided that one-sixth of the vacancies in the posi- 
tion of engineer should be filled annually by appointments from the 
grade of conductor, but that in case there were not a sufficient num- 
ber of conductors who had passed the examinations the vacancies 
might be filled from the engineer graduates of the Ecole des Fonts et 
Chaussees. The difficulties of the entrance examination were such 
that during the ffi^st 19 years that the law was in force no conductor 
had ever been able to pass them, and the number obtained between 
1869 and 1881 was so small that it was decided to allow the con- 
ductors to take the course in the school as outside students, and the 
time while at the school was to count in their 10 years' service then 
necessary for appointment as engineer in the corps. Between 1869 
and 1905 there were 63 conductors who obtained the grade of engi- 
neer and 9 of these became chief engineers. Of these 63, 32 were 
graduates from the national school and 31 came in by competitive 
examination direct from the conductor class. Such graduation, 
however, did not authorize the conductors to enter the corps as en- 
gineers, but after graduation they still had to pass the examination 
for entrance provided by the law of 1850. In 1907, however, the 
conductors were allowed to enter the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees 
as engineer students, and at the present time one-fifth of the total 
number of such students are selected from the subengineers and con- 
ductors having at least six years' service and ha\4ng passed the 
entrance examinations. 

The law of 1907 also pro^dded that all subengineers and conduc- 
tors who were then actually exercising the functions of engineers 
should be admitted as engineers of the third class mthout exam- 
ination, upon the recommendation of a committee composed of all 
the inspectors general of the first class of the corps des ponts et 
chaussees a,nd the directors of the department or public works. 
The subengineers and conductors were to be admitted from year to 
year, provided that the number thus admitted in any one year plus 
the number admitted direct to the corps as a result of a competitive 
examination should not exceed one-half of the number of engineer 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS^ FEANCE. 5 

students graduating from the national school in that same year. 
Subengineers and conductors who were former students of the 
national school were to be allowed, within 2 years after the passage 
of this law, to take the entrance examination without having had 
the 12 years' service. This new law increased the necessary amount 
of service for entrance to the corps to 12 years instead of 10, of which 
6 years must have been active service as a conductor. 

The number of positions as engineers open to subengineers or con- 
ductors is such that the number of positions of any grade occupied 
by the nongraduates of the Polytechnic School may be equal to 
one-third of the total number of such employees covered by the 
budget of that year. 

Examination for grade of conductor. — The competitive examination 
for entrance to the grade of conductor in the corps des ponts et 
chaussees consists of two parts — a quahfying examination and an 
entrance examination. Each apphcant for permission to take the 
examination must be not less than 18 nor more than 30 years of age 
on January 1 of the year in which the examination is held. Soldiers 
who have served in the active army may add to this 30 years the 
number of years that they have served with the colors. Clerks in 
the corps des ponts et chaussees can add to the 30 years a number 
of years equal to that of their years of service to the State required 
to make them eligible for retirement. Candidates for admission must 
be French born or naturalized. 

The qualifying examination is a written examination and covers 
the following subjects: 

Qualifying examination {written). 



Hours 
allowed. 



Weight. 



Value. 



Orthography and composition . 

Arithmetic 

Algebra 

Geometry 

Plane trigonometry 

Physics and chemistry 

Free-hand drawing 

Washed drawing 

Engineering computations 

Surveying 

Field work with instruments. . 



0) 



140 
80 
40 
80 
40 
40 
80 

120 
80 

100 

100 



Total. 



45 



900 



1 As prescribed. 

The entrance examination is made up of two parts; the first is 
written and the second oral. 

First entrance examination {written). 



Report on some technical matter 

Project of some simple work 

Working drawing in descriptive geometry (stone cutting or carpentry) . 

Total 



aKi. ^Veight. 



10 
10 
10 

30 



Value. 



200 
200 
200 

600 



6 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

Second entrance examination {oral) . 



Weight. 



Value. 



Descriptive geometrjr 

Mechanics and machines 

Hydraulics and strength of materials 

Electricity 

Preparation of a project 

Materials and methods of construction 

Roads and pavements 

Railways and tramways 

Streams, canals, and harbors ■. 

Administrative law and customs of the service. 

Total 



3 


60 


4 


80 


4 


80 


5 


100 


6 


100 


5 


100 


5 


100 


5 


100 


5 


100 


5 


100 



46 



920 



The weight assigned to each of these subjects is shown in the tables 
above. Each subject is marked on a basis of 20. Sixty-six and two- 
thirds per cent is necessary on the qualifying examination. No one 
with less than this can take the first entrance examination. No one 
who does not make at least 66 f per cent on the first entrance exam- 
ination can take the second one, and at least 66| per cent of all the 
points on the first and second entrance examinations are necessary 
for entrance to the corps. In arranging the candidates according 
to rank on their entrance as conductors, a certain weight is given to 
their length of previous service if any such service exists. 

This examination is conducted by a committee of engineers and 
subengineers or conductors, who prepare and hold the examinations. 
The papers are marked by separate boards. Even if a candidate 
passes the examination he can not be appointed a conductor until 
he is 23 years of age. If younger than this he can be appointed as a 
clerk and employed in that position until he becomes 23.^ 

EXAMINATION FOE GRADE OF ENGINEER. 

The competitive examinations for entrance to the corps des ponts 
et chaussees, direct from the grade of subengineer or conductor, take 
place annually. Notification of the date on which they will occur is 
published at least three months in advance of the examination. 

This examination consists of two parts and is held between Sep- 
tember 15 and October 15 and between October 15 and December 15. 
Apphcation for permission to take the examinations must be made 
by the subengineers or conductors before July 1. The application of 
each candidate must contain the following information: 

1. The year in which he qualified as conductor. 

2. Any previous examinations that he may have attempted. 

3. A certificate showing his military service. 

4. A detailed account of his services since his entrance into the public works, 

showing the various positions that he has occupied. 

This application goes through his chief engineer and the prefect of 
the department in which he resides. The examination consists of a 
quahfying examination which is entirely written, and of an entrance 
examination which is partly written, partly oral, and partly an exam- 
ination of the record of the candidate. 

I The conditions for entrance to the corps des ponts et chaussees as a conductor have been merely out" 
lined above. The exact wording of the law, together with a detailed list of the examination subject matter* 
will be found in the " Annales des Fonts et Cnaussees," eighth series, 1907, administrative part, pp. 991- 
UK)8, Library of Congress. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AXD HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FEANCE. 7 

Qualifying examination. — The first part of the examination covers 
the following subjects: 



Subject. 




Weight. I Value. 



Electricity and its industrial applications 

RaUroads and tramways 

Administrative law ... 

Memoir upon some practical subject connected with the construction and 
maintenance of ways of communication and maritime ports 

Total 



20 
20 
40 

80 



160 



The time allowed on each subject and the weight assigned to each 
are shown in the above list. 

Entrance examination. — The second examination consists, first of 
all, in the preparation of a preliminary project selected by the candi- 
date from one of the following groups of subjects: 

Preliminary project for a road, railroad, or tramway. 

Preliminary project of a bridge. 

Preliminary project of a canal, of the canalization of a river, or of some structure 

relating to inland navigation. 
Preliminary project of a maritime work, of a j^ower house, water-supply plant, 

or sanitary installation for a city. 

The preliminary project is prepared under the inspection of the 
board during a period of six days. It includes the design, plans, sec- 
tions, elevations, and profiles, consisting of simple sketches drawn to 
scale, lettered and figured, and accompanied by an explanatory 
memoir, memorandum of prices, estimate of cost and specifications 
for the work. The candidate, moreover, is required to explain ver- 
bally the details of his project and to answer questions proposed to 
him by the board. 

Including the project, there is an oral examination upon the follow- 
ing subjects: 



Subjects. 



Value. 




Questions regarding construction and maintenance of engineering, stmctures, ways of 
commimication, and maritime ports: and practical points regarding engineering work 

The customs of the service and accounts 

Administrative law 

Preliminary project: 

Technibal part 

Explanatorj" memoir 

Total 



100 
40 
60 



The weight assigned is shown opposite each subject. The sub- 
jects are all marked on a basis of 20. 

This examination is taken before an examining board composed of 
an inspector general of the ponts et chaussees and six engineers below 
;the grade of inspector general, two of whom shall have risen from the 
grade of conductor or subengineer. No candidate is allowed to take 
the second examination unless he shaU have obtained at least 66f 
per cent of the total number of points on the first examination. 
Passing the first examination qualifies the candidate to present him- 
self for the second at any time within a period of three 3"ears, and 



8 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

during that period he can present liimself for the second examination 
one or more times. 

A certain additional mark is given to each candidate, depending 
upon the work that he has done and the special aptitude that he has 
shown. These marks are given to the candidates by a committee 
composed of the vice president of the general council of the ponts et 
chaussees, all the inspectors general of the first class, and the directors 
of the department of public works sitting as a board. This com- 
mittee considers the reports and marks given to the candidate since 
his entrance into the service, any articles or books that he has pub- 
lished, the marks obtained on the two examinations, and the pre- 
liminary project that he submitted. It calls the candidate before it 
and questions him on the duties and the works with which he has 
been connected. It also questions the inspector general under whom 
the candidate has worked and the engineers with whom he may have 
served. The resulting mark given to each candidate by this com- 
mittee is multiplied by a coefficient equal to one-half the sum of the 
coefficients assigned to the matters in both parts of the examination, 
and the product thus obtained is added to the sum of the points 
received by the candidate on both of his professional examinations. 

The arrangement in order of standing oi the successful candidates 
to be promoted to the grade of engineer is fixed by the committee 
according to the total number of points received by the candidate in 
accordance with the above plan. This table is made known to all 
candidates who were admitted to the second professional examination. 
Any subengineer or conductor whose name is thus recommended by 
the committee and who does not obtain his appointment during the 
following year can have his name carried to the new list for the next 
year, provided the committee approves. 

All examinations are held in Paris, except that qualifying examina- 
tions are held in important cities in the various Departments in 
Algeria, and Tunis to save time and travel. These are held under the 
surveillance of a chief engineer of the ponts et chaussees and two 
ordinary engineers. 

Any fraud in the examinations eliminates the candidate from the 
competition and subjects him to disciplinary measures in addition. 
Candidates undergoing these examinations are considered on duty 
during the continuance of the same.^ 

l'ecole nationale des fonts et chaussees. 

By far the greater number of present members of the corps des 
ponts et chaussees came from the national school, while under the 
present law at least two-thirds of future members will come from its 
graduates. This brings us to the consideration of that scliool, the 
great source of recruitment for the corps des ponts et chaussees. 

The primary object of this school, conducted under the authority 
of the minister of public works, is to create a body of engineer students 
to recruit the engineers of the corps des ponts et chaussees. In addi- 
tion to this, in so far as they can be accommodated in addition to the 

1 The above merely outlines the regulations and conditions relating to entrance to the corps des ponts 
et chaussees by direct examination. The exact wording of the law, together with an extremely detailed 
list of the subject matter of the examinations, will be found on pp. 224-220, first semester, and pp. 
226-251, second semester, .\nnales des Ponts et Chaussees, eighth series, administrative part, 1908, 
Library of Congress. 



SCHOOL OF BEIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 9 

engineer students, the school is intended to give instruction to such 
outside students as may desire to obtain the higher engineering 
diploma conferred by the school. 

The school also receives foreigners as '^outside students," and 
gives instruction to other Frenchmen and foreigners, not candidates 
for diplomas, under the title of ^'free listeners." 

The object of the instruction in the school is, in general, to provide 
knowledge of the construction and maintenance of highways, rail- 
roads, canals, maritime ports, and such works as may be intended 
to insure navigation and maintain the regimen of the rivers and 
streams, and, in general, everything which pertains to ways of com- 
munication by land or water. It also includes the subjects of irriga- 
tion, drainage, control of streams, power houses, and the distribu- 
tion of water. As necessary to provide such knowledge the course 
includes the following subjects: Mechanics, civil architecture, forti- 
fications, mineralogy, geology, applied chemistry, agricultural and 
urban hydraulics, applied electricity, administrative law, the living 
languages, and political and social economy. Wireless telegraphy 
and the other applications of electricity, aeronautics, photography, 
and fish culture are also covered in special lectures. The school is 
practically a school of application in which selected graduates of 
the Polytechnic School and selected subengineers and conductors are 
specially trained for the design and administration of that part of the 
public works assigned to the corps des ponts et chaussees and in 
which others, as outside students, are similarly prepared for the 
engineering work of civil life. This is known as the special or regular 
course. In addition to the regular course there is a preparatory 
course for students who are not graduates of the Polytechnic School, 
intended to cover the scientific subjects that are necessary to fit them 
for the higher technical instruction as outside students of the special 
course. 

HISTORY. 

The creation of the National School of Bridges and Highways 
(FEcole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees) dates back more than 
150 years. 

About 1744, on the recommendation of Trudaine, intendant of 
finance, it was decided to create a bureau of designers and draftsmen 
and a depot of plans which should be devoted to the preparation of 
plans and maps of the great highways and other routes of communi- 
cation of France. M. Perronet, then engineer of the district of 
Alencon, was placed in charge of the bureau and depot. 

The new institution, in addition to the services mentioned, was 
intended to instruct the above-mentioned designers and draftsmen 
in the theory and practical knowledge necessary to fulfill satisfac- 
torily the different positions in the corps des ponts et chaussees. 

Such is the origin of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees. 

The corps des ponts et chaussees dates back to still an earlier 
period, having been instituted by decree of the royal council Feb- 
ruary 16, 1716. Up to 1744 the recruitment of the corps des ponts 
et chaussees was carried on without any fixed rule from among the 
various employees who had shown talent in the practical work of 
construction. 



10 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

After 1760 the bureau of designers appears under its old name, and 
also under the new name of the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees. The 
present name first appears as the official title in the instructions 
issued by Turgot, February 19, 1775. 

Its personnel was made up of 70 employees, who were divided into 
three classes — the subengineers or inspectors, the student employees, 
and certain other young men under instruction called assistants. 

The weak part of the institution was the instruction. The brighter 
students of each class were forced to make an outside study in the 
subjects of architecture, physics, and mineralogy, and afterwards to 
teacli them to their comrades in the class, together with pure mathe- 
matics, mechanics, stereotomy, and drafting. Such was the state of 
the school at the outbreak of the Revolution. 

On the 19th of January, 1791, the National Assembly passed a law 
containing the following provisions: 

1. There shall be a free school of the pouts et chaussees. 

2. This school shall be directed by a chief eugiueer and by an inspector under 

his orders. 

3. There shall be a fixed course of instruction, and the positions of professors 

shall continue to be filled by such students as, after competitive examina- 
tions, shall be judged most worthy of these positions. 
' 4. Sixty students shall be admitted to the school, and they shall be divided into 
3 classes of 20 each. 

5. The students shall be chosen from all the departments of France as a result 

of public competitive examinations passed before a special examining 
board. 

6. The students shall be appointed. 

In 1794 the foundation, under the War Department, of the school 
for the public works, now called the Polytechnic School, gave rise to 
a critical situation in the fortunes of the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees. 
The plan was discussed of substituting the Polytechnic School for all 
the other special schools of the State, but fortunately this plan was 
abandoned and the law of October 22, 1795, definitely settled the 
relations between these different schools. This law, in addition to 
other important dispositions, provided as follows: 

First. The Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees, created in 1747 and again continued in 
accordance with the law of January 17, 1791, is to be continued as a school of appli- 
cation. * * * 
Fourth. The students shall be drawn from the Polytechnic School. * * * 
Fifth. The instruction given in the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees shall be intended 
principally for the application of the physical and mathematical principles to the art 
of designing and constructing buildings and works connected with highways, canals, 
maritime ports and the structures which pertain thereto. 

This new method of recruiting the corps from amongst students 
preA^ously prepared in the Polytechnic School necessarily introduced 
certain fundamental modifications in the system of instruction in 
the national school, henceforth to be a school of application. 

In 1798 the new course of instruction was approved. It provided 
that the instruction in the school should thereafter be intrusted to 
three professors charged with teaching the following courses: 

First. Applied mechanics. 

Second. Stereotomy applied to arts of design, stouecutting, and carpentry. 

Third. Construction work and the arts and trades connected therewith. 

When the imperial decree of August 25, 1804, again established the 
organization of the school, no notable change was wrought in the 



SCHOOL OF BKIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PABIS^ FEANCE. 11 

interior regime, the methods of interior work, nor the discipKne of 
the school. 

The reorganization therein provided for has continued in force 
nearly up to the present time and its main provisions concerning the 
organization of the school were continued in the decree of Julv 18, 
1890. 

Certain modifications have been wrought in this fundamental decree 
by the later decrees of July 20, 1893, December 19, 1899, October 30, 
1900, February 2, 1906, April 3, 1909, and finally by the law of De- 
cember 24, 1907, concerning the recruitment for the engineers of the 
ponts et chaussees, but its main controlling conditions still exist. 

FINANCES. 

The school is supported entirely by the Federal Government of 
France, and as the instruction is entirely free there is no income from 
the tuition of the students. 

The following is a copy of the budget of the school for the year 1912: 

Personnel: 

Direction and inspection of the special coui'se $12, 550 

Direction and inspection of the preparatory course 2, 280 

The library and secretary's office 9, 285 

Employees of the school 3, 400 

127, 515 

Allotments and various expenses: 

Field work, surveys, etc 50 

Entrance examinations 100 

Laboratory work 100 

Laboratory assistant. 100 

Commutation of quarters 1, 632 

Prizes for good services 500 

Overtime for employees 147 

Allowances for employees 180 

Alms 60 

2, 869 

Materials and various expenses: 

Practical work in construction 1, 900 

Field work in surveys 240 

Laboratory -. 1, 000 

Gallery of models 400 

Repairs to buildings 850 

Repairs to furniture and apparatus. . ". 700 

Cleaning 240 

Furniture 240 

Uniforms for servants 252 

Laundry work 120 • 

Heating and lighting 2, 874 

Transportation of books, instruments, etc 30 

Stationery and supplies 184 

Postage 20 

New Year's presents to servants 16 

9,066 

Laboratories: 

Operating expenses of various laboratories 2, 610 

, Uniforms, working clothes, etc 54 

2, 664 

Total for the school proper 42, 114 

In addition to the above expenses, which are purely for the school, 
there are the following from the same budget that pertain to the depot 



12 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

of mstruments and bureau of plans and maps which are used m many 
ways ill connection with the schools: 

Uniforms $60 

Stationery and supplies 86 

Bureau of draftsmen 3, 740 

Photographic laboratory 3, 488 

Subordinate employees 660 

Publication of the Annales des Ponts et Chaussees 1, 000 

Salaries 8, 440 

Subordinate employees 800 

$18, 226 

In addition to the above, there are attached to the school : 

1 inspector general of the first class, at $3,500 $3, 500 

3 inspectors general, at $3,200 9, 600 

13 chief engineers, at $2,200 28, 600 

1 engineer, ordinary, at $1,400 1, 400 

6 professors, at about $1,000 6, 000 

Total , 49, 100 

Grand total 109, 440 

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOL. 

The school is directly under the control of the minister of public 
works, to whom matters concerning the school go immediately from 
the director of the school unless the previous action of the school 
board or council is necessary. 

Director. — The school is administered by an inspector general of 
the first class of the corps des ponts et chaussees, who bears the title 
of director of the school. He is charged with seeing that the regula- 
tions are carried into effect and obeyed. He reports to the minister 
everything with regard to the instruction, policing, and administration 
of the school, and he has charge of the depots which are attached 
thereto. 

Inspector. — A chief engineer or an inspector general of the second 
class assists the director and is in charge of the studies. He is called 
the inspector of the school. He is particularly charged with all the 
details of instruction. He exercises a daily supervision over all parts 
of the instruction and reports to the director and, when necessary, to 
the school board, such facts as have a bearing upon the instruction, 
order, and discipline. He has charge of the accounts and returns of 
the school and is in charge of the library and museums. Both the 
director and inspector are appointed by the President of the Republic. 

Professors, repetiteurs, ana masters. — The subjects forming special 
departments or courses in the school will be given later in detail. Or- 
dinarily each course is in charge of a separate professor. Occasion- 
ally one professor will be able to handle two courses, but this is the 
exception and not the rule. The instruction in military science is 
given by an engineer officer of the army nominated by the minister 
of public works and detailed for that purpose by the war department. 
In addition to the professors the personnel charged with the instruc- 
tion includes one chief of graphical works, one head master of draw- 
ing, and a master of German and one of English. Such new chairs 
as may be desirable from time to time can be created by decree upon 
the recommendation of the minister of public works upon the advice 



SCHOOL OF BEIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 13 

of the school board and the council of improvement. In case of 
necessity and upon the recommendation of the school board one or 
more assistant professors or repetiteurs may be attached to the 
department of any particular course either in the special or in the 
preparatory school. ' Professors, assistant professors, and repetiteurs, 
either in the special school or the preparatory school, the chief of 
graphical works, and the masters are appointed by the minister upon 
recommendation presented for each vacancy by the school board. 
Practically all the professors of the school are drawn from the corps 
des ponts et chaussees or the corps des mines or des telegraphes. 
The exceptions are the professors of law and languages and military 
instruction. They come from the state department, civil life, and 
the war department, respectively. 

A few of the professors are detailed exclusively on this duty; the 
others are all actively engaged in the work of their corps, and all 
are men selected for their peculiar fitness or ability in that particular 
line. All the positions are held for several years consecutively during 
satisfactory service and a few are permanent positions. 

These details as professors are exceedingly desirable, as the position 
is looked upon as a stepping stone to a higher appointment and the 
selection for the place is and has always been a very high compliment. 

The courses are so arranged that the professor is not kept away 
from his work for more than one or two days a week and usually for 
only about 30 or 40 days during the year plus the time for examina- 
tions and board meetings. These few days at a time do not interfere 
materially with his other duties. 

The chief engineer of the lighthouse service and the chief engineer 
of one of the large canals now under construction occupy positions as 
professors at the present time — 1912. 

Persons who, through their connection with special works, have 
acquired exceptional knowledge upon certain branches of the engi- 
neering science can be called by the minister, either directly or upon 
the recommendation of the school board, to come temporarily and 
give lectures to the students on the subjects covered by their special 
knowledge. 

Functionaries and agents. — Attached to the school administration 
there are certain functionaries and agents. These consist of an 
administrative secretary, a librarian, two inspectors, and a doctor, 
and such number of draftsmen, clerks, and servants as may be judged 
necessary for the instruction and for the depots attached to the school. 
The permanent functionaries and agents are appointed by the minister 
upon the recommendation of the director of the school. The aux- 
iliary agents or those whom it may be necessary to employ tempo- 
rarily are chosen by the director of the school upon the recommenda- 
tion of the inspector. 

SCHOOL BOARDS OR COUNCILS. 

School hoard. — All important propositions bearing upon the instruc- 
tion, the interior working, or the discipline of the school before being- 
submitted for approval to the minister are submitted to the action 
of a council called the school board, whose duties and functions are 
largely those of the academic boards or school boards of correspond- 
ing schools in America. 



14 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FRANCE. 

This council of instruction, or school board, is made up of the 
director, the inspector, two inspectors general of the first class of 
the corps des ponts et chaussees, all the professors of the school, and 
the president of the societ}'^ of engineers, formerly outside students. 

This board meets upon call of the minister of public works, or the 
director of the school, as often as may be necessary and at least once 
every two months during the school year. A majority of the mem- 
bers of the board is necessary to constitute a quorum. In case of a 
division, the vote of the president is preponderating. The board is 
necessarily called to deliberate upon questions concerning the course 
of instruction and the student body and especially upon questions of 
the retardation or the advancement of students from one class to 
another, of dropping them for deficiency in studies, or of expelling 
them from the school. 

It fixes the lists showing the class standing from year to year and 
upon graduation. Its decisions on these matters can only be changed 
to correct mistakes in the application of the school regulations. It 
discusses and submits for the approval of the minister the conditions 
for admission as well as those for the courses, and the rules to be 
applied in marking the work of the students. It gives its advice 
upon any other questions that may arise in connection with the school, 
which may be referred to it either by the director of the school or by 
the mmister, or which may be presented by a member of the school 
board alter previous consultation with the school authorities. The 
minutes of the board are submitted for the approval of the minister. 

Council of improvement. — There is a higher board called the council 
of improvement, which meets at the end of every academic year in 
order to fix the list of prizes to be awarded to students and to discuss 
any measures which may be suggested mth the object of improving 
the course of instruction. 

This council of improvement comprises certain ex officio members 
and certain other members appointed by decree upon the recommen- 
dation of the minister of public works. 

The ex officio members are : 

1. The director of the school, president. 

2. The inspector of the school, secretary. 

3. Four professors of the school designated annually by the school board. 

4. The directors of the central administration of the department of public 

works. 

5. The d hector of the state railways. 

6. The vice president of the general council of the ponts et chaussees. 

7. Three members of the general council of the ponts et chaussees designated 

by that council. 

8. The inspector general of hydraulic works in the department of the marine. 

9. The inspector general of the colonial public works in the department of the 

colonies. 

10. The director of hydraulics and of agricultiu-al impro\ements in the depart- 

ment of agriculture. 

11. The director of the school of mines. 

12. The director of studies of the polytechnic school. 

13. The president of the friendly association of engineers, formerly outside 

students in the school. 

The following are appointed by decree to serve for two years : 

1. Six representatives of the railway interests or other industries connected 

with transportation and electricity. 

2. Three contractors on the public works. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS,, PARIS^ FEANCE. 15 

Of these last nine at least four must be chosen from old graduates 
of the school. . 

The director presides at meetings of this council and the inspector 
fills the position of secretary. 

This council meets at the end of the school year in order to judge 
of the merits of the combined work produced by the students and to 
propose such measures as it may think useful or necessary for improv- 
ing the course of instruction. 

The annual session of this council is divided into two distinct parts. 
In the first part it sits as a jury or examining board and after an inspec- 
tion of the provisional classification of the students pjrepared by the 
professors it fixes the list of prizes and honorable mentions to be given 
to the students. Its decisions in these matters are final. In the 
second part of the session the council discusses any measures which 
may be suggested to it for the purpose of improving the com^se of 
instruction, and recommends to the approval of the minister such of 
these m^easures as it deems worthy of trial. In the first part of the 
session the professors who are not members of the council are present 
at its meetings and have a consulting voice. Each of them has a 
deliberative voice in connection with questions which concern the 
course of instruction confided to his charge. Separate minutes are 
prepared for the proceedings of the council at both of these sessions. 
The minutes are sent to the minister, who acts upon the proposals 
made by the council of improvement, the school board having been 
consulted. The session of the council must be completed mthin 15 
days after the date of its first meeting, but in case of necessity the 
council can be ordered to meet in extra session by the minister. 

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION. 

The course of instruction is divided into two parts, the preparatory 
course and the special course. 

Preimratory course. — In order to give to such young men as may 
wish to be admitted to the school as outside students a satisfactory 
means of preparing themselves for the higher technical instruction in 
the special school, a preparatory course has been organized. The 
subjects taught in this course are such as are usually taught during the 
first year in a good engineering college in this country. It covers the 
mathematical and scientific matter necessary for a good foundation 
to the later technical instruction. 

The duration of this preparatory course is one year, and it is intended 
to give its students a condensed course of instruction corresponding 
to that received b}' the engineer students during then- two years in 
the Polytechnic School, This instruction is altogether free. Admis- 
sion to the preparatory course is by means of a competitive examina- 
tion, which is given iDefore an examining board appointed by the 
minister of public works upon the recommendation of the director of 
the school. 

Matters taught in the preparatory courses are regulated by minis- 
terial decree on the recommendation of the school board and the 
advice of the council of improvement. 

Special course. — The special course includes the subjects usually 
taught in the last three years of a good engineering school in this 
country. It includes a three years' com'se of instruction in the school 

68063—13 2 



16 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

proper, and a certain amount of {)ractical instruction while on special 
missions durin^: the summer vacations to the different classes of engi- 
neering work under engineers having charge of important works in 
the course of construction. 

The work of the school proper takes ])lace during the months from 
November to May, inclusive. The missions embrace the period from 
June 1 to October 15. 

The course supplements the subject matter taught in the Poly- 
technic School and the preparatory course. Admission to the special 
course is by graduation from the preparatory course or from the 
pohtechnic school, by a competitive examination, or by appointment 
with permission to enter without examination. The instruction is 
entirely free. 

STUDENTS. 

Classification. — ^The student body of the national school is made up 
as follows: 

1. Engineer students. 

2. Outside students. 

3. Foreign students. 

4. Free listeners. 

Engineer students. — This class makes up the body of students for 
whose education the school especially exists. They are the selected 
graduates of the Polytechnic School or men of the conductor class 
from the corps des ponts et chaussees who are being specially pre- 
pared for appointment to that corps, as engineers, upon graduation. 

Four-fifths of these engineer students are recruited from the 
selected graduates of the Polytechnic School recommended upon 
their graduation for the service of the ponts et chaussees and one- 
fifth from among subengineers and conductors of the ponts et 
chaussees, who have passed a competitive examination for admission 
to the school to which entrance examination they have been author- 
ized to present themselves by passing a qualif^dng examination. 

By the law of December 24, 1907, all engineer students are on the 
same footing as regards pay, allowances, standing, and appointment 
to the corps des ponts et chaussees after graduation. The number 
admitted annually is determined by the probable number of vacan- 
cies in the corps des ponts et chaussees and is usually less than 20. 

Outside students. — The outside students are made up of Frenchmen 
and foreigners who desire to avail themselves of the splendid course 
of engineering instruction given in the national school, but who are 
not candidates for admission to the corps des ponts et chaussees. 
There are usually 20 to 25 such students, of whom 4 or 5 are 
foreigners, admitted annually. 

The graduates of the preparator}^ school form a preferred list of 
outside students. From an examination of the minutes showing the 
results of the various examinations imdergone by the candidates and 
upon the advice of the school board, the minister annually fixes the 
list of the remaining outside students to be admitted to the course and 
to participate in the interior work of the school. All outside students 
compete among themselves as to their arrangement in order of 
merit. Aside from that, they follow exactly the same course as the 
engineer students as regards the instruction, examinations, and other 



SCHOOL OF BEIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FEANCE. 17 

exercises of the school. Their instruction covers a period of three 
years and is entirely free. Upon application, these outside students 
during the vacations nia}^ receive authority to visit public works 
in course of construction, and in 1911 the council of improvement 
recommended that they be compelled to utilize their vacations in 
some such manner. Such of these as at the end of the course of 
study have satisfied all the conditions required in the school receive 
from the minister of public works the diploma of engineer of civil 
constructions, conforming to the instruction that they have received. 

Foreign students. — This class of students is made up of two parts; 
first, those who desii-e to take the course for the same reason as the 
outside students above mentioned and who are on practically the 
same footing as French outside students; and second, those who are 
representatives or officials of foreign Governments who are given 
special privileges in the way of freedom from entrance examinations.. 

Each foreign student must present his application for admission 
to the minister of public works through the minister of foreign 
affairs. His application must be previous^ submitted for the 
approval of the representative of his own Government at Paris, by 
whom the application must be favorably indorsed. 

Before their admission to school foreign students must undergo an 
examination intended to show their knowledge and demonstrate 
their fitness to follow the course. 

They are ordered to be admitted by the department upon the 
advice of the examining board and the recommendation of the 
school board. 

They can only obtain such places in the study rooms as shall 
remain available after French students have been provided for. 
The director of the school may authorize foreign students to follow 
the lessons of certain nonpublic courses. 

Free listeners. — -This last class of students consists of Frenchmen 
and foreigners who, for any reason, are not candidates either for 
governmental positions or for diplomas. They are permitted to 
attend all or part of the lectures by written permission of the director 
of the school. The number of this class of students is approximately 
from 50 to 60, of whom about one-third are usually foreigners. This 
class of student is not required to take the examinations, the projects 
or practical work, nor to go on. missions, but on the other hand he 
receives no diploma for his work at the school. The advantage that 
he obtains consists entirely in the amplification of his knowledge on 
engineering subjects. 

Occasionally Frenchmen from other public departments are sent 
to take the course as ''free listeners." They are considered as 
students and can take the examinations and be admitted to the 
library of the school. 

The list of students to be admitted to the school each year is made 
up as follows: 

First come the students of the preparatory school, who in conse- 
quence of their examination standing at the end of the year have 
obtained such marks as satisfy the school board. 

Then are listed, in the order of their rank of graduation from the 
Polytechnic School, those students who have just graduated from that 



18 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

institution, but only such number as to fill the number of places fixed 
for that year by the school board. 

Then come the candidates from the conductor class of the ponts et 
chaussees, who are admitted to a number equal to one-fourth the 
number admitted from the Polytechnic School. 

Vacancies remaining after the above lists have been made out are 
then open to the competitive examination for candidates as outside 
students. 

The number of vacancies and the order of standing in the entrance 
examinations for both the special and preparatory courses are imme- 
diately sent to the minister with the marks of the students and the 
recommendations of the examining board and the proposals of the 
school board. 

The minister definitely fixes the lists of admission and transmits 
them immediately to the director of the school in order that he may 
promptly prepare the certificates to be submitted to the mihtary 
authorities by the new students. 

Number. — The number of engineer students admitted to the national 
school varies from 15 to 20 yearly. The number admitted under the 
other classes of students depends upon the number successfully passing 
the entrance examinations and the capacity of the school. 

The students are divided into three classes, corresponding to the 
annual graduating classes from the Polytechnic School. 

In the year 1910-11 there were 135 students in the school, arranged 
as follows : 

PREPARATORY SCHOOL. 

Number in the preparatory school, 22. 

In addition there were 18 who were then in the military service. 

SPECIAL SCHOOL. 

Engineer students. 



Class. 


From the 

polytechnic 

school. 


Conductors 
and snb- 
engineers. 


"First 


12 
3 

17 


3 


Second 




Third 


3 


Total 


38 









There were 20 engineer students of the third class undergoing their 
military service in regiments, of whom 18 were to enter the school in 
November, 1911, and 2 in November, 1912. 

Outside students {French and foreign). 

First class 26 

Second class 27 

Third class 22 

One outside student of the third class was performing his military 
service and was to enter the school, beginning November 3, 1912. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS^ FRANCE. 



19 



Nationality . — The above-mentioned outside students were divided 
as follows, according to nationality: 



French 

Russian 

Turkish 

Egyptian 

Greek 

Chinese 

Cochin Chinese. 



Total. 



Special 
school. 



63 
5 
3 

1 
2 
1 



Prepara- 
tory 
school. 



75 



17 
1 
2 



22 



All engineer students are Frenchmen. 

Free listeners. — During^ this year there were 55 free listeners, of 
whom 28 were foreigners, divided amongst the various nationalities 
as follows: 



Nationality. 



Russian... 

Polish 

Syrian 

Armenian. 

Turkish 

Spanish 

Portuguese 




Nationality. 



Greek 

American.. 
Peruvian... 
Argentinian 

Total. 



Number. 



28 



Age. — Every candidate for appointment as outside student in the 
preparatory course or special course must be a Frenchman, born or 
naturalized. He must be between 17 and 21 years of age on the 
1st of January of the year in which he enters the preparatory school 
and between 18 and 25 on the 1st of January of the year in which he 
enters the special school. This age limit is increased to 27 years in 
the special school for such candidates as have served their two years 
in the army. 

Salary. — The engineer students in all the classes receive a yearly 
salary of S480 with an additional yearly allowance of $120 as a sort 
of commutation of quarters during their stay in Paris. To this is 
added an additional allowance of $100 a year and traveling expenses 
to cover their expenses while on missions to the public works during 
the summer months. 

The other students, of course, receive no pay or compensation. 

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS. 



Preparatory school. — Admission to the preparatory school can only 
be obtained by passing an examination which is held in Paris at a 
time determined by the minister of public works. These exami- 
nations are held before an examining board appointed by the minister 
upon the recommendation of the director of the school. They follow 
a program fixed by ministerial decree. The minister determines 
annually and publishes in the official journal both the announcement 
of the date of the examination and the maximum number of admis- 



20 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FRANCE. 

sions tliat will be allowed in the preparatory course. The applica- 
tion for admission to the examination must be addressed to the min- 
ister of public works. It must be made before May 15 and be accom- 
panied b}^ the following papers : 

1. A birth certificate showing French birth or the necessary papers to show 

French naturalization. 

2. A duly attested certificate of good morals from the mayor of the place of 

residence of the candidate. 

3. An attested certificate of a physician showing vaccination or that the candi- 

date has had smallpox. 

4. A medical certificate of physical fitness certified to by the mayor of the 

candidate's place of residence. 

5. The approval of parents or guardians in case the candidate is a minor. 

The competitive examination for admission to the school takes 
place annually at the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees some time during 
June or July. 

The entrance examination to the preparatory school is divided 
into tw^o parts. The first part is written and the second part is oral, 
and only those who pass the written examination satisfactorily 
(drafting not included) are admitted to the oral examination. 

The written examination covers the following subjects: 

1. Algebra. 

2. Analytical geometry. 

3. Mechanics. 

4. Descriptive geometry. 

5. Arithmetic, with or without the use of logarithms. 

6. A geometrical drawing, drawn from a relief model. 

The geometrical drawing is only given to those students who have 
passed successfully the examination subjects 1 to 5, inclusive. 

The oral examination. — The oral examination covers the preceding 
subjects and in addition trigonometry, physics, and chemistry. 

In both the written and the oral examination aU the subjects are 
marked on the scale of 20 and all subjects are given the same weight, 
except that in the oral examination trigonometry and analytical 
geometry are counted as one subject. 

No student who, through failure in studies or by disciplinary meas- 
ures, has been separated from the school can present himself again 
for a competitive examination to the preparatory course. 

Special school. — Applications for admission to the examination for 
the special school as an outside student are submitted at the same 
time and accompanied by the same papers and information as pro- 
vided for the preparatory school. No examinations, applications, nor 
papers are required from graduates from the preparatory school. 

Applications for admission to the examinations for engineer stu- 
dents must be made by the subengineers or conductors before July 1. 
The application must contain the folloA\ang information and must be 
submitted through his chief engineer and the prefect of the depart- 
ment in which he resides : 

1. The year in which he qualified as conductor. 

2. The foreign language upon which he desires to be examined. 

3. Any previous examinations that he may have attempted. 

4. A certificate showing his military service. 

5. Detailed account of his service since entrance into the public works, with 

the various positions that he ha.s occupied. 

The examinations for entrance to the special school consist in 
written compositions, in the execution of certain designs, and in oral 



SCHOOL OF BKIDGES AXD HIGHWAYS^ PARIS^ FEAXCE. 21 

examinations. They take place annually in the months of June or 
July for outside students and of September or October for engineer 
students. The examinmg board for the outside students is com- 
posed as follows: One inspector general of the corps des ponts et 
chaussees, president: and six examiners chosen from among the 
chief engineers or ordinary engineers of the corps des ponts et chaus- 
sees, the professors of the Xational School of the Corps des Ponts et 
Chaussees or of the Xational Higher School of Mmes. For the exami- 
nations for the conductors the board is similar, but two of its members 
must be selected from among the engineers taken from the ranks of 
the subengineers and conductors. The members of the board are 
appointed each 3'ear by a decree of the minister of pubhc works. 
The program and conditions for these competitive examinations are 
fixed by the decree of April 17, 1908, for the recruitment of engineer 
students from subengineers and conductors of the ponts et chaussees' 
and are the same for entrance as outside students. 

This examination is made up of two parts: (1) A qualifying exami- 
nation and (2) an entrance examination. The first is entirely writ- 
ten, the second entirely oral. 

The qualifying examination covers the following subjects: 



s^biBct. : ^c^,^ 



Weight. Value.. 



Algebra and analytics 4 ; 3 i 60 

Geometrj' and mechanics 4 ; .3 1 60 

Descriptive geometry 3 | 2 1 40 

Total ' ! I 160 

\ 1 

The entrance examination covers the following subjects: 



Subject. 



Algebra and analytics 

Geometry 

Mechanics - 

Physics and chemistry 

EngUsh or German (optional) . 



Weight. ! Value. 



2 


40 


2 


40 


2 


40 


2 


40- 


h 1 


10 


- 1 





Total ; I ■ 170 

The mark obtained on languages does not count in deciding 
whether the candidate has passed or not. It is only added to his^ 
mark when determining his order of standmg among the other suc- 
cessful candidates. 

This exammation is entirely oral. Each subject is marked on a 
basis of 20, and the sum of the marks multiplied by their weights gives 
the resulting mark for the examination. Xo candidate is allowed to 
attempt this examination more than three times. Xo one is allowed 
to take the oral examination who has not received at least 60 per 
cent of the maximum number of points obtainable on the written 
examination; and no one is allowed to enter the school who has not 
received at least 66§ per cent of the maximum number obtainable on 
the two examinations toerether. 



22 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FRANCE. 



A program for the entrance examinations -to both the preparatory 
"and special schools as either an engineer or outside student is fixed 
by ministerial decree and enumerates with great detail the subject 
matter of the examinations that these candidates must pass. This 
program is too extensive to include even a summary of it in this 
report. It is on file in the library, United States Engineer School 
No. 620.7 F815, E, 1. 

Foreign outside students undergo an examination covering the 
same subject matter as French students. Under exceptional circum- 
stances and upon the recommendation of the school board foreign 
students may be excused from all or part of the examinations. This 
freedom from examination is only accorded to public officials recom- 
mended as such by their governments, and the administration can 
always require them to undergo an examination before admission if 
it so desires. 

Program of the course. — In order to establish the best practicable 
system in each course of instruction and to avoid the possibility of 
any duplication of instruction in the courses given by different pro- 
fessors, each course is always clearly defined as to the framework of 
the matter taught therein. The progress of science and the neces- 
sary increase of lessons in consequence thereof have compelled a 
recent complete revision of these programs of instruction. They are 
carefully prepared by the school board and are approved by minis- 
terial decree. 

This program is published under the department of public works 
and shows m the mmutest detail the subject matter included in each 
cours(^ in the school and the order in which it is taught. It forms an 
exc(^!l(>nt framework for the professors in laying out their work and 
for the students in following the same, and practically consists of the 
subheads that would appear in a table. of contents if all the lectures 
were published in book form. This program is entirely too long for 
publication in this report and is not capable of summarization beyond 
its present form. A copy of the present program is on file in the 
library of the United States Engineer School: ^^ Programmes de 
L'Enseignement Interieur de L'Ecole Nationale des Fonts ct Chaus- 
sees," No. 620.7 F815, E, 1. 

ABSTRACT OF THE COURSES. 

Preparatory scJiool. — The following is an abstract of the one 3^ear's 
course in the preparatory school: 



Course. 



Analytics and mechanics 

Applied geometry 

Architecture 

Physics 

Chemistry 

Quizzes in analytics 

Quizzes in mechanics 

German 

English 

Military instruction 



Number 

of 
lectures. 



20 
20 
31 
30 
40 
30 
15 
17 
20 
20 
39 



Professor. 



Ranlcof 

professor. 

C) 



iMaillet 

d'Ocagne 

Pillet 

Mesnager 


2 

2 

10 

2 


Etieime 





(*) 

Mathis 

Gamier 

Chambeau 






7 

7 

»-7 



1 See footnotes to table on page 23. 



' Not yet assigned. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS^ FRANCE. 



23 



Special course. — The following is an abstract of the courses in the 
special school covering the three years' course: 

The first year or third class includes nine courses ; the second year 
or second class includes seven courses, and the third year or first class 
includes five courses. In addition to these, in each class there are 20 
lessons in English and 20 in German^ and 19 in military instruction. 
The f ollowino: is the list of the courses : 



Name of course. 



Number 
of lessons. 



Name and rank of 
professors. 



First year, third class: 

Applied mechanics (strength of materials) — 

Materials of construction 

Methods of construction 

Highways and tramways 

Topography and measurement of earthworks . 

Applied electricity 

Mineralogy and geology 

Architecture 

Social economy 

German 

English 

Military instruction 



Total 

Second year, second class: 

Applied mechanics (hydraulics) . 

Metal bridges ! 

Masonry bridges 

Inland navigation 

Maritime works 

Railroads 

Administrative law (first part). . 

German 

English ^. 

Military instruction 



Total. 



Third year, first class: 

Reenforced concrete and experimental mechanics of solids. .. 

Steam engines and other thermal motors 

Agricultural and urban hydraulics 

Political economy and finances 

Administrative law (second part) 

German 

English 

Military instruction .- 

Total 



1. Inspector general, ponts et chausses. 

2. Chief engineer, ponts et chausses. 

3. Chief engineer of telegraphs. 

4. Engineer of arts and manufactures. 

5. Chief engineer of mines. 

(). Professor in Law School of Paris. 

7. Not on school board. Master of languages. 

8. Captain of engineers, French army. 

9. Counsellor of state. 

10. Professor of architecture. 



36 
24 
30 
26 
10 
32 
9 
30 
17 
20 
20 
20 
20 



294 



240 




Resal, 1. 

Mesnager, 2. 

Felix Launay, 2. 

Heude, 1. 

d'Ocagne, 2. 

Guillebot de Nerville, 3. 

Picou, 4. 

De Launay, 5. 

Bonnet, 2. 

Gide, 6. 

Mathis, 7 

Gamier, 7. 

Chambeau, 7, 8. 



Rabut, 2. 
Resal, 1. 
Sejoume, 2. 
Dusuzeau, 2. 
De Joly, 2. 
Fouan, 2. 
Chareyre, 9. 
Mathis, 7. 
Garnier, 7. 
Chambeau, 7, 8. 



Rabut, 2. 
Walckenaer, 5. 
Bechmann, 2. 
Colson, 1. 
Romieu, 8. 
Mathis, 7. 
Garnier, 7. 
Chambeau, 7, 8. 



SCHOOL YEAR AND DAILY SCHOOL HOURS. 



The school year begins annually during the first half of November 
and' lasts until May 31. During the entire academic year students 
must be present in the school daily, Sundays and holidays excepted, 
from 8 a. m. to 11.30 a. m., and from 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. In case of 
sickness or other serious interruption necessitating a forced suspension 
of work, the minister may, upon recommendation of the school board , 
authorize a student to take the year's work over a second time. 



24 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

The school })uiklin<2: is o\)vu from 8 a. m. to 7 p. m. oxco])t on Sun- 
days and holidays, wIumi il is open from 10 a. m. until 5 ]). m. 

HOUSING AND FEEDING OF STUDENTS. 

The students room and eat wherever they desire outside of the 
school, there heing no dormitories or messes attached thereto. They 
are required to be present at all lectures given in the school and all 
exercises, tests, laboratory sessions, and tours of inspection, and are 
supposed to work in the study rooms or library during tlie rest of the 
school hours. 

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION. 

The instruction in the school consists of the following: 

1. Oral lectures given by the professors, of whom there are 21. 

2. Studies of graphical works and the preparation of memoirs and projects. 

3. Chemical, physical, and electrical laboratory work and work in the labora- 

tory for testmg materials. 

4. Field exercises with surveying instruments. 

5. Visits to engineering works under construction, workshops, power houses, 

industrial establishments, port works, quarries, etc. 

6. Missions on engineering works during the summer vacations. 

The course in administrative law is optional for foreign students 

The course of fortifications is obligatory for French students and 
can not be taken by foreign students without special authority from 
the minister. 

The system of instruction for students in the spacial school is di- 
vided into two parts: First, the system of instruction in the school 
proper from November to June 1, and, second, the system of instruc- 
tion in the practical work obtained on their missio'ns on the public 
works or elsewhere from June to November. 

The entire time of the student is thus utilized, and although the 
missions take up practically the entire summer they form such a 
change of work and surroundings that all the advantages of a vacation 
accrue together with those of actual experience with working condi- 
tions and methods. 

Outside students follow the same course in all respects as engineer 
students. 

The department of public works, upon recommendation of the 
school board, fixes the subdivision of matter to be taught in each of 
the three years, the number of lessons, the days and hours correspond- 
ing thereto. 

The period of instruction is immediately followed by that of exami- 
nation at the end of the year. These examinations are given and 
marked by the professor in charge of the course, and any other mem- 
bers of the school board who desire can be present. They usually last 
from about March 20 to May 31 in the special school and from ^lay 
15 to June 15 in the preparatory school. 

All the foregoing rules in regard to the students are a|)])lied subject 
to changes due to the tours of military duty that may 1)0 required of 
the individuals. 

Lecture course. — The backbone of the course is the series of lectures 
given on each subject, and given as they are by men who are actively 



SCHOOL OF BKIDGES AK^D HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS, FRANCE. 25 

engaged in work on the subjects covered by their lecture courses, and 
who are selected men in their various lines, this method involves 
the maximum amount of practical instruction that can be given in a 
theoretical course. 

The various courses run concurrently, one or two lectures being 
given on each subject every week. The lectures last from an hour to 
an hour and a half, and at the end the students are allowed to ask 
questions to clear up any points which they have missed. The stu- 
dents take notes and keep them in permanent notebooks. 

The lectures are well illustrated by models, large scale drawings^ 
and by sketches made on the blackboard by the professor. 

To the normal course of the school there are added a certain number 
of lectures which include applied electricity, petrography, and paleon- 
tology, and cover recent developments in certain scientific subjects, 
such as wireless telegraphy, aviation, etc. 

In most of the courses the students have a summary of the lectures 
in lithograph sheets, and these taken with their notes give them a 
complete outline of all the most important points covered by the 
lecture. 

A complete set of these lithographed courses was obtained and 
is on file in the library of the engineer school. A list of them is 
given later in this report. 

Projects. — Next in importance to the lecture course comes the 
projects required from time to time during the course. They consist 
in the design of certain works already covered by the lectures together 
with plans and estimates for the work. They come as near practical 
work as is possible under school conditions w^hen actual responsibility 
for success or failure can not be included. These must be turned 
in at a specified time and a certain amount is deducted from the 
mark for each day's delay thereafter. These projects are required 
in both the preparatory and special schools, increasing in importance 
and in practical application as the student's knowledge increases. 

During the year the students in the preparatory school have to 
submit many small studies or projects on three different subjects. 
In the special school the students of the first year must furnish 
between November 3 and April 1 three projects consisting of six 
studies; those of the second class and of the first class five projects 
each. These projects are equivalent to a formal monthly examina- 
tion and require about one-half of the time assigned for the school 
work. 

The following projects are required from the various classes during 
the different years: 

PREPARATORY SCHOOL. 

1. Architecture (25 drawings, 3 projects). 

2. Applied geometry (11 problems). 

3. Mechanics (I project). 

SPECIAL SCHOOL. 

1 

First year or third class. 

1. Architecture (consisting of three parts). 

2. Mechanics (consisting of two parts). 

3. Roads (consisting of one part). 



26 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARTS, FRANCE. 

Second year or second class. 

1. Architecture (^cousisting of one part). 

2. Mechanics (consistinjr of two projects). 

3. Large masonry bridge (consisting of one part). 

4. Inland navigation (consisting of one part). • 

5. Applied electricity (consisting of one part). 

Third year or first class. 

1. Railways (consisting of one part). 

2. Agricultural and urban hydraulics (consisting of one part). 

3. Mechanics (consisting of two parts). 

4. Metal bridges (consisting of one part). 

5. Maritime works (consisting of one part). 

In the majority of these projects in order to economize time and 
use it to the greatest advantage in the preparation of the project 
and in order to Hghten the manual work of the students, sketches 
drawn to scale on cross-section paper are utilized as far as possible 
as a substitute for more elaborate forms of drafting. The sketches 
must be carefully made both as to the sketch itself and to the letters 
and figures. This system allows the greatest amount of time to 
be devoted to the study of the design and to the preparation of the 
memoir and it places the student in the true position of a designing 
engineer who is supposed to devote most of his time to the essential 
intellectual part of the preparation of his project and not to a great 
amount of manual labor. The work required in these projects is 
very considerable and the results submitted must be worked out 
in detail. They form a large measure in estimating the ability and 
standing of the students and they take the place of the ordinary 
examinations given in schools in this country. 

The follomng are the projects or studies required of the students 
in the various classes for the year 1910-11, showing the subjects and 
the time allowed in the preparation of each: 

FIRST CLASS. 

Maritime work. — Project for a port upon a commercial route much frequented and 
destined to become quite an important port. Time, 4 weeks. 

Railways. — Project of a single-track, standard-gauge railway. Time, 5 weeks. 

Masonry bridge. — Project for a masonry bridge on a mountain road crossing a torrent. 
Time, 5 weeks. 

Applied mechanics (reenforced concrete). — Three preliminary^ projects, from which 
two must be treated by at least 12 students — 

(a) For widening viaduct for double track. Time, 6 weeks. 

(b) For the establishment of a single-track viaduct. Time, 6 weeks. 

(c) A minute examination of movements in the Eifel Tower. Time, 6 weeks. 
Hydraulics, agricultural and urban. — Project for the water supply for a medium-sized 

city. Time, 6 weeks. 

SECOND CLASS. 

Architecture. — Project for a suburban ofRce of a railway company. Time, 4 weelffl* 
Applied electricity. — Project for the electrical distribution on a waterway. Time, 
6 weeks. 

Masonry bridge. — Same as for first class. Time, 5 weeks. 

Inland navigation. — Project for the upstream end of a canal lock with a metal gate. 
Time, 5 weeks. 

Applied mechanics (reenforced concrete). — Three projects from which two optional 
ones must be taken by at least nine students — 

(a) Project for the prolongation of a sea jetty. 

(6) Project for the extension of a city pierhead. 

(c) Project for the improvement of the deflection register. Time, 6 weeks. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS^ FRANCE. 27 

THIRD CLASS. 

Architecture. — ^Three sketches showing designs of the following works: 

1. Public lavatory and fountain. Time, 3 weeks. 

2. A bridge at the junction of two small rivers. Time, 2 weeks. 

3. A small courthouse. Time, 3 weeks. 
Applied mechanics. — 

1, (a) Design of a cylindrical tube under various pressures; (b) design of a 
water reservoii". Time, 4 weeks. 

2. (a) Design of a hyperstatic beam; (6) state of stability of an articulated 
system. Time, 6 weeks. 

Highways and tramways. — Project for straightening out a highway. Time, 5 weeks. 
(A complete set of the foregoing projects for the vear 1910-11 is on file in the library 
of the United States Engineer School, No. 620.7 F815 P.) 

PREPARATORY COURSE. 

Architecture. — ■ 

3 washed drawings. 
22 sketches. 

3 projects. 
Applied geometry. — 

4 tests in descriptive geometry. 

5 tests in stereotomy. 

2 tests in graphical calculations. ^ # 

Mechanics. — 

1 study in graphical statics. 

Laboratory worlc. — This includes the work in the chemical and 
physical laboratories similar to that required in an engineering course 
m this country and is of minor importance in an engineering school 
Bxcept for general information and for the preparation that the 
physical laboratory work gives for future electrical work. 

The work with electrical machinery is conducted in the shops of 
the special school and in those of the school of mines which are well 
equipped and large enough for both schools. Each student has 
12 days' work in these laboratories 

The work of testing materials is done in the laboratory for that 
purpose attached to the national school and described later. It 
consists in helping prepare specimens and two days' work in testing 
with the machines. 

Field worlc. — The program in the course of roads and railways 
includes a certain amount of practical work actually carried on in the 
field. This work includes the use of the chain, the square^ the transit, 
the plane table, the level, and the tachometer. This field work 
involves taking the necessary notes and plotting them up later, and 
the computations involved therein. 

TOUES OF INSTRUCTION. 

From time to time during the year, and especially during the 
months of April and May, the students of the various classes take a 
few geological excursions and make numerous visits to engineering 
projects under construction, to important power plants, workshops, 
and engineering and industrial establishments that may have a 
bearing on or furnish instruction in connection with the various 
courses. 

During the year 1910-11 the classes made the following visits: 

FIRST CLASS. 

To the agricultural exhibit and reservoir at Montsouris. 
To the central power house of the Paris Electrical Co. 
To the power house of the Metropolitan Railway, Paris. 



28 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

To the power house of Weyher & Richemoud at Pantin (boilers and steam engines). 
To the power houses.at Clichy and at Colombes and to the irrigation works at Genne- 
villieres. 
To the filtration plant of Ivry and the departmental establishment at Montmesly. 
To the springs of Loing and Limain (water supply of Paris). 
To the purification plant at Poissy, Carrieres, and Mery Pierrelaye. 
The wireless-telegraph plant at Eiffel Tower and the military telegraph depot. 

FIRST AND SECOND CLASSES TOGETHER. 

To the port works at Dunkerque. 
To the Creusot works. ' 

FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD CLASSES TOGETHER. 

To the dam of Tuiliere at Arcachon and Bordeaux. (Electrical power plant, reen- 
l orced concrete construction, and port works at Bordeaux.) 

SECOND CLASS. 

Thirty-two sessions in the electric laboratory of the ponts et chaussees and 16 in the 
school of mines (12 manipulations for each student). 
Two sessions in the laboratory for testing materials. 
Visit to the lighthouse depot. » 

THIRD CLASS. 

To the metal construction shops of Moisant, Laurent, Savey & Co., at Ivry. 

To the reenf orced concrete quay in course of construction at Auteuil. 

To the Thomson-Houston Works at Vaugirard (electrical). 

To the central power house of the Paris Electrical Co. 

To the Auteuil loop of the Metropolitan Railway and to the Mirabeau Bridge, Paris. 

To the plant of the French Cement Co. at Mantes. 

To the plant of the Metropolitan Railway Co., Paris. 

Work in the chemical laboratory. 

Work in the laboratory for testing materials. 

To the wooden pavement works of Paris and to the works of the Central Asphalt & 
Bitumen Co. 

To the tunnels at Lausanne, Loetschberg, Simplon, and St. Maurice (electrical 
powerhouses). 

To the steel works at Enville, Nancy, Pompey, and Gerardmer (includes a geological 
excursion) . 

A field survey on the island of Minimes. 

PREPARATORY COURSE. 

To the glass works of Legras & Co. at St. Denis. 

To * 'La Monnaie" workshops. 

To the gas works of the Heating & Lighting Co. at Gennevillieres. 

To the mechanical museum at the Conservatory of Arts and Trades. 

To the national pottery works at Sevres. 

Missions. — From the 1st of June to the 15th of October during the 
first two summer vacations the French students are sent on missions 
of instruction to various parts of the country and are there attached 
to the public works in course of construction or to engineering or 
industrial establishments in order to obtain practical knowledge of 
such work under the supervision of the engineers in charge of the 
work. The particular object of these missions is the practical instruc- 
tion received on the w^ork and they form a sort of an apprenticeship 
in the functions of the engineer. The instructions given to the stu- 
dents before their departure require them, whUe pajdng particular 
attention to a study of the difficult problems of construction, to 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AXD HIGHWAYS^ PARIS^ FKAN'CE. 29 

endeavor to familiarize themselves \\'ith the accounts, returns, man- 
agement, etc., and other administrative subjects. During the mis- 
sion all students are required to keep a journal wherem they note 
points of information collected, then* own observations of the work, 
and the operations in which they have taken part. This journal is 
considered in arranging the class standing both as to the merit of the 
journal itself and as to the zeal shown and the service rendered. A 
report of the engmeer under whom they work is received to show how 
the students hnpressed the authorities over them. 

Beginning wdth the summer 1911 the outside students of the second 
and third classes were informed that hereafter they must use their 
vacations in engineermg occupation. The duties, travels, or visits 
that they followed during their vacations could be chosen according 
to their own personal wishes, and they could obtain positions furnish- 
ing a salary or not, but during their vacations they must be employed 
either with railroads, contractors on the public works, or in private 
establishments, power houses, or manufactories in such a way as to 
increase thek engineering knowledge. In order to allow the school 
authorities to judge of the value of their experience they, like the 
engineer students, are required to submit a detailed memoir upon the 
employment of then' tune, accompanied by certificates of the engi- 
neers or contractors under whom they have worked, and all documents 
resulting from their observations 'or researches or personal work. 
Applications from outside students to visit the public works of the 
State on such missions will be recommended for approval by the 
school authorities. 

Upon graduation certain selected graduates are sent on missions 
to foreio-n countries to studv the o-reat eno-uieermo; works there under 
construction. This mission may last about a year. It is of great 
value to the vouns: eno^ineer in broadening his ideas and showing the 
Widely different methods of handling similar works in different 
countries. 

THE EXAMINATIONS. 

The examinations are practically all oral and take place at the end 
of the school year independently of the projects, practical exercises, 
and missions that are required. They consist of an examination of 
the lecture notes kept and of an oral examination on the subject 
matter of the lecture courses given. 

During the year students may be given partial exammations 
bearing upon the subject matter already covered. In the special 
school this would be done only under exceptional circumstances. 
There is ordinarily only one examination a year, and it comes at the 
end of the course. In the preparatory school, however, a partial 
examination is always given in January upon the subject matter 
studied in November and December in order to test the student's 
ability to continue in the course. A minimum of 7, or 35 per cent, 
is required in each of these partial examinations. 

The annual examinations last from the 20th of March until the 31st 
of May in the special school and from the 15th of May to the 15th of 
June in the preparatory school. 



30 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FRANCE. 



Preparatory course. — The following table shows the course in the 
preparatory school and the weights assigned to the practical work, 
projects, examinations, etc.: 



Subject. 



Analytics.. 
Meclianics. 



Parts. 



Applied chemistry. 
Physics 



Chemistry. 



Architecture 
technology. 



German.. 
English... 

Assiduity. 



and 



Total. 



/Practical exercises 

\Examination 

/Practical problems 

\Examtnations 

{Practical application . . . 
First examination 
Second examination,... 

/First examination 

VSecond examination 

( First examination 

tSecond examination 

Project 

Sketches 

Washed drawing 

First examination 

Second examination 

Examination 

....do 

To lectures and quizzes. 

In the study rooms 



Weight. 



Value. 



100 



120 
200 
120 
200 
80 
120 
120 
140 
140 
120 
120 
80 
80 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
100 
CO 



2,000 



Each of the above separate parts is marked on a basis of 20, 
making the total possible mark 2,000, of which 1,300 is the minimum 
total for passing. In each of the subjects the student is required to 
obtain at least 7 on every part with the above-mentioned total 
average of 13. For attendance at lectures and quizzes the student 
must have 75 per cent. 

Special course. — The following table shows the weights assigned to 
the various parts of the course in the different classes of the special 
course for the school year 1911-12. It shows the relative importance 
assigned to the examinations, projects, practical work, and notes 
taken while on missions. 

Third class {first year). ^ 



Examinations. 



Applied mechanics (strength of materials) , 

Methods of construction 

Highways and tramways 

Applied electricity 

Mineralogy and geology 

Social economy 

German 

English 

PROJECTS. 

Applied mechanics (strength of materials) 

Highways and tramways 

Architecture (3 sketches) 

Materials of construction: 

Examination 

Chemical laboratory 

Mechanical tests 

Topometry and measurement of earthwork: 

Examination 

Work with wye level 

Sketch of machines 

Total weight » 




2,380 



1 In accordance with the law one point is taken off for each unauthorized absence from a lecture, from 
a lesson in English or German, from a practical exercise or visit to an engineering work; and half a point 
for each absence from a session in the studj' rooms. A loss of 50 points, including all kinds of absences, 
or a loss of 25 points from lectures, etc., alone, entails exclusion from the school. 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS. FRANCE. 
Second class {second year) . 



31 



ExamiBations. 



A-pplied mechanics (hydraulics) .' 

Metal bridges 

Masonry bridges ■ 

Maritime -vrork 

[nland navigation 

Railways 

A.dministrative law i 

Political economy and finances 

German 

English 

PROJECTS. 

Architecture 

A.pplied electricity 

Masonry bridges 

Railways 

Applied mechanics (hydraulics) 

Inland navigation 

Sketches of machines .- — 

Electrical laboratory work 

■"Totes while on mission 

Total weight 2 



Weights. 


Value. 


8 


160 


7 


140- 


7 


140 


12 


240 


12 


240 


12 


240 


10 


200 


. 10 


20O 


3 


60 


3 


60 


10 


20O 


8 


160 


8 


160 


8 


160 


8 


160 


8 


160 


5 


lOO 


3 


60 


20 


400 


162 


3,240 



First class. 



Examinations. 



Weights. I Value. 



Applied mechanics (hydraulics) 

Steam engines and other thermal motors 

Agricultural and urban hydraulics 

Administrative law i 

Political economy 

Social economy 

German 

English 

PROJECTS. 

Maritime work 

Railways 

Metal Bridges 

Agricultural and urban hydraulics 

Applied Mechanics (hydraulics) 

Notes while on mission 

Total weight 2 .' 



8 
15 
10 
10 
10 
6 
4 



10 

8 

20 



129 



160 
30O 
200 
200 
200 
120 
80 
80 



160 
160 
160 
200 
160 
40O 



2,580 



1 Optional for foreign students. 

2 In accordance with the law one point is taken off for each unauthorized absence from a lecture, from 
a lesson in English or German, from a practical exercise or visit to an engineering work; and half a point 
for each absence from a session in the study rooms. A loss of 50 points,^ including aU kinds of absences., 
or a loss of 25 points from lectures, etc., alone, entails exclusion from the school. 

Note.— The maximum mark on each of these subjects in all three of the above tables is 20 and the inini- 
mum 7, and the maximum and minimum total for each subject is its weight multiplied by 20 and 7, respec- 
tively. A general mean average of 65 per cent is required at all times. 

Methods of marking. — Each examination, project, or practical 
exercise is marked on a basis of 20, and 7 is the minimum passing 
mark. In case a mark of less than 7 is received that practical test 
must be done over. The final mark on the test in which the student 
failed the first time can only be increased on a second trial by the 
amoiJnt that the new mark exceeds 10; thus if a student receives a 
mark of 5 on the first test he must take it over and, in case he received 
12 on the second test, his first mark is increased by 12 minus 10, mak- 
ing his resulting mark for that test 7. 

The general average at the end of any year for all such tests pre- 
viously given must be at least 13, or 65 per cent, in order for the 
68063—13 3 



32 'school of bridges and highways, PARIS, FRANCE. 

student to be promoted from one class to another or to graduate 
This percentage must be the resulting average for the previous actual 
marks, minus whatever penalty there may be for unauthorized 
absences. 

This minimum average is mandatory under pain of exclusion from 
school unless the school board authorizes the student to be turned 
back to the following class. 

No system of daily marks is kept except the record of attendance. 
There are no daily or other recitations, the standing and marks 
depending on the examinations, projects, mission journals, and 
practical work. 

CLASS STANDING xVND GRADUATION STANDING. 

The standing of the various students in the class is fixed at each 
promotion and at the end of the course by the school board. This 
classification is entirely separate for engineer students and for outside 
students. 

The class rank is determined by the total number of points obtained 
in the examinations, practical exercises, projects, and missions 
(including penalties for unauthorized absences from lectures, etc.), 
not only during the current year but also during the preceding years 
in the special course according to the conditions laid down by the 
ministerial decree. The points obtained in each subject are the 
product of the mark received, multiplied by the weight assigned to 
the subject. These weights are shown in the preceding tables and 
.are determined according to the importance of the subject by the 
school board. 

The passage of students from one class to another and the gradua- 
tion from the school can not take place unless they have satisfied for 
the year or for the course all the conditions fixed by the ministerial 
decree. 

In case of sickness or other grave and exceptional circumstances 
having occasioned a forced suspension of work, the minister may, 
upon the recommendation of the school board, authorize the student 
to take his year's work over. 

A conductor or subengineer failing to pass the course in the national 
school is allowed to go back to his place as a conductor or subengineer 
with the rank that he would have held had he remained continuously 
in his position. 

Proficiency. — No student is allowed to pass from one year to 
another, nor to graduate unless his total average is 65 per cent and 
he shall have acquired at least 50 per cent of the total marks in each 
year; and the outside students can not receive the diploma of engineer 
of civil constructions and the engineer students can not be nominated 
for the grade of ordinary engineer of the third class unless they 
shall have obtained 65 per cent of the total of all points that can be 
obtained in the entire course at the school. 

For the first year the student's average must be 65 per cent. 
During the second year his average may fall to 50 per cent on the 
subject matter of that year, but his average for the first and second 
years must be 65 per cent. 



SCHOOL OF BKIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FEANCE. 33 

Similarly, for the third year the student's average on the subjects 
of that year may fall to 50 per cent, but his general average for the 
entire course must be 65 per cent. 

PROMOTION OF ENGINEER STUDENTS ON GRADUATION. 

The engineer students, having completed their course of studies in 
accordance with the regulations of the school, are appointed ordinary 
engineers of the third class, with a yearly salary of $1,000 plus 
certain perquisites and allowances which vary from $200 to $800, 
depending upon the importance of the work. 

The engineer students promoted to engineers choose their work and 
station from among those open to choice in the order of their class 
standing, with the single proviso that they are not allowed to choose 
for their first station any place in the department where any of their 
family resides. 

Outside students are neither required nor allowed to enter the 
pubHc service as a result of graduation alone. The fact that the 
tuition is gratuitous involves no after service to the State. 

BOOKS. 

Several of the courses taught in the Ecole des Corps des Fonts et 
Chaussees have been pubHshed and are on public sale. These courses 
pertain principally to subjects in which the changes are few and in- 
frequent and where the text has been tested by several years use in 
the school. The majority of the courses in the school do not exist 
in printed form but are prepared by the professors of the school and 
are issued in lithograph sheets from the hthograph department of the 
school. These hthograph copies are distributed free to the students 
and contain the gist of the subject matter given in the lectures of the 
corresponding course. They contain the subject matter of the 
lectures that would be printed in book form together with the neces- 
sary illustrations, and they form the ground work for the professors' 
lectures on those subjects. In the lectures themselves they are 
amplified and supplemented by more detailed explanations and 
descriptions by the professor himself. Sometimes these notes are 
prepared by the professor and sometimes by the students themselves, 
and even in the latter case they are always a very valuable collection 
of notes to preserve and fix a true summary of the course of instruc- 
tion. A complete set of these hthographed courses is on file in the 
library of the United States Engineer School. (See list of publica- 
tions in library of United States Engineer School.) 

DIPLOMA. 

The higher diploma of engineer of civil constructions is dehvered 
by the minister to such outside students, both French and foreign, 
as have satisfied all the conditions of the ministerial decree and who 
have obtained at least 65 per cent of the total number of points 
which can be acquired in the course of instruction in the special school. 

Those who have merely satisfied the conditions of the ministerial 
decree heretofore mentioned receive from the director only a certifi- 
cate of the studies pursued upon which is noted the marks obtained 
on the various subjects in the examination and practical exercises. 



34 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

Disciplinary measures. — Aside from private reprimands to which 
students may be subjected, the punishments appHcable in case of 
necessity are the following: 

1. Temporary suspension from the school. 

2. Reprimand in school orders. 

3. Reprimand by the school board with or without publication in orders. 

4. Suspension from advancement with the class. 

5. Dismissal from the school. 

The spirit of order. and discipline in the school is so high that these 
various measures seldom come into operation except the delay in 
advancement from class to class accorded or imposed at long intervals 
in the interest of the student or of the school 

Temporar}" expulsion from the halls of study and temporary 
expulsion from school itseK can be mflicted by the director or by the 
inspector. The duration of this punishment must not exceed 15 
days when imposed by the dkector, nor 8 days when imposed by the 
inspector. Every such exclusion of more than 10 days is reported 
to the mmister. The application of any of these punishments does 
not reheve the student in any way from the obligations which he must 
fulfill in order to pass to the next higher class at the end of the session. 

The reprimand in orders can be given in the cases provided by the 
regulations by the inspector, the director, the school board, or the 
minister, depending upon the gravity of the offense. Censure or 
reprimand is given to the student in the presence of the school board, 
and the board decides whether or not it shall be published in the orders 
of the school. 

Delay in advancement from one class to another is made b}" deci- 
sions of the mmister upon the recommendation of the school board. 

Dismissal from the school is pronounced, upon the recommendation 
of the school board, by presidential decree in the case of engineer 
students, and by the minister in the case of outside students. 

In all cases involving dismissal from the school, the student con- 
cerned is always allowed to present his defense to the school board 
before final action is taken. 

THE MILITARY SERVICE OF STUDENTS. 

Article 21 of the law of March 21, 1905, provides that in time of 
peace reprieves from service, renewable from year to year up to the 
age of 25, can be given to young men who make application therefor 
in the interest of their studies, and also provides that students of the 
Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees may eitlier serA^e the first of their two 
years in some unit under ordinary conditions before their entrance 
into the school or after their graduation therefrom. 

Young men who at the time they enter the preparatory school are 
18 years of age and are recognized as suitable for the army must enter 
into a voluntary enlistment between October 1 and 10 of that year 
for six years. Such of these as desire to perform their militar}' service 
after the completion of their school work must make declaration to 
that effect in writing, at the time of their enlistment. 

Such of them as have not yet reached the age of 18, and those who 
have not been recognized as suitable for the arni}^ at the time of their 
entrance into the school, must make the enlistment for six years, 
either on their eighteenth birthday or whenever they may be recog- 



SCHOOL OF BKIDGES A2s^D HIGHWAYS^ PARIS^ FEAKCE. 35 

nized as fit for the service. The beginning of this enlistment is 
counted from their admission to the school. The instructions of 
August 25, 1906, stipulate that students of the school will perform 
their service after completion of their studies, but they may request to 
be excused from the incorporation as provided in article 21 of the law 
of 1905. All outside students, except those who are phj^sicalty unfit 
and those who go in the auxiliary service, receive certain military 
instruction in the school to prepare them for the grade of subheutenant 
in the reserves. Those who at the time of their graduation have 
passed the examinations required in this grade, and who have com- 
pleted one year's service before their entrance to the school, imme- 
diateh' complete their second year in the position of sublieutenant 
of the reserves. Those who have delayed both their two years of 
service until after their graduation, and who have satisfactorily 
passed the examination in the military subjects, serve one year 
under ordinary conditions and the second year either as sublieutenants 
of the reserves or as sublieutenants in the active army. Finally, 
those students who have not satisfactorily passed the graduating 
examinations in the school — that is, those who have not obtained 
the diploma of engineer of civil constructions and those who have left 
the school for any reason whatever without completing the course — 
are incorporated in the army as private soldiers or noncommissioned 
officers and complete their one or two years' service, depending upon 
whether or not they performed one year of service before their en- 
trance into the school. 

In these last-mentioned cases the enlistment which they have con- 
tracted is annulled. 

MILITAEY IXSTRUCTIOX. 

The law requires that a certain amount of military instruction be 
given to the French students. This is usually given by officers of 
the engineers of the French Army and covers the matter prescribed 
by law. 

The course was not a very important one and its omission has been 
recommended. It is showQ in detail in the Program of Interior 
Instruction heretofore mentioned. 

INDUCEMENT TO HAED STUDY. 

Prizes. — Certain Government prizes in the scientific subjects., with 
a value that may reach $40, are accorded annually in each subject 
to such projects and memoirs as may be judged worthy of this 
recompense by a board formed from members of the council of im- 
provement. Under these provisions, in 1910 $700 was distributed 
by tlie council of improvement among the students of the school, 
and in addition $170 in prizes was awarded for excellence in the 
students' reports on their missions. 

In addition to the foregoing Government prizes, the following 
prizes are given during the year: 

Reynaud prize. — Treatise on architecture, to the two most distin- 
guished students in architecture during the three years' course. 

TJie Tarhe de St. Hardouin prize. — Forty dollars in scientific works, 
to the graduating student most distinguised in administrative law. 



36 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARTS^ FRANCE. 



Alfred Dura nd- Clay e prize. — A copy of course in hydraulics by M. 
Durand-Clayc and M. F. Launay, to the two students most distin- 
guished in hydraulics. 

The Alfred Picard prize. — Ten copies of L'Bilan d'un Siecle. 

The Henry Giffard scholarship.— 'Described later under ^'Assistance 
to poor students." 

The Eugene Timonoff prize. — Forty-five dollars, to the outside 
student, French or foreign, who throughout the entire course of his 
studies has obtained the highest mark in accordance with the rules 
and regulations of the school. 

ASSISTANCE TO POOR STUDENTS. 

There is a fund called the Henry Giffard fund, which produces two 
scholarships each year with a value of $240 each. These are intended 
for deserving students in their second and third years in the special 
school. One of these scholarships is given every year to a student 
just completing his first year and continues during the remaining two 
years of the course. In order to become eligible for it a student must 
apply to the director of the school before the 1st of December in his 
first year in the special school, and must accompany his application 
with a full statement showing the financial circumstances of his 
family. 

The scholarship can only be awarded to one whose class standing at 
the end of the year is at a mean general average of 65 per cent or 
more. These applications are transmitted to the minister, who 
awards the scholarship to the most deserving student. In making 
award of the scholarship the zeal and application are taken into 
consideration. The scholarship begins the first of the folio w^ing July. 

Time assigned to various suhjeds. — The hours assigned to the 
lecture-room work of each class in both the preparatory and the 
special schools are shown in the following tables: 

Preparatory course. 
[Hours at which lectures start: Nov. 3, 1911, to May 15, 1912.] 



Course. 


Number 

of 
lectures. 


Professor. 


Mon- 
day. 


Tues- 
day. 


Wednes- 
day. 


Thurs- 
day. 


Fri- 
day. 


Satur- 
day. 


Analytics and mechanics. . 


/ 20 
\ 22 
31 
30 
40 
30 

i 17 
20 
20 
39 


JMaillet 








2 




2.30 


Applied geometry 


d'Ocagne 

Fillet 


10 


'"'i'is' 

1.3a 


1.30 




Architecture . . . 




3.30 
1.30 




Physics . . . 


Mesnager 










Chemistry 


Etienne 




8.30 




8.30 


Quizzes in analytics and 


\ 


3 




3.30 
10 






mechamcs. 
German. . . 


Mathis 










English . . 


Garnier 




9 
10.15 








Military instruction 


Chambeau 








10.15 















The lectures begin promptly at the hour indicated. Students must 
be in the lecture room five minutes in advance of the hour. 



1 

I 



I 

I 



t 

5d 






I 

I 



I 

^ J 

I 
I 



II 



^§ 



6o^ 



ojti' 



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Og/ 



oi^/ 



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■,o// 



.0/ 



,0/ 



ic6 



6d6 



6k9 



o9 



—•^ 

Ol 






f 



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5i> f^ 






r 



4 






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5 



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111 



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^e//i7u//cs, a^r/cif//i//-a/&i/r^a/} 
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P) 
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£'A-y: —au/s/i/e S/^a^e/f/s 



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/i/oi^. ea '*/o /?ec. eo '-* 

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^/?r// a/?a' /}/a^/. 









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■^Sess/o/7s a//>a/7a'///?a /T?acA//?er^/. 

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^/u>//ety £/ec/r/c//u M>Kea'*/a/?ec.ea^ 

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/ /?at/ /i>r /es///7^ ma/er/a/f/n ^/>r//J 
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Iw/rs of //?s/>ec//a/? /I^r// ar^/f/a^. 



/i/o/e: 



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a/?i/ /Ear/A lyorA ty/y/Ae a/?/?oi/^cea^ 
/a/er 



SCHOOL OF BRIDGES Al^D HIGHWAYS, PARIS, FRANCE. 

Special course. 



37 



Hours at wMch lectures start: First and second classes, Oct. 16, 1911, to Apr., 1912; third class, Nov. 3, 1911, 

to Apr., 1912.] 



Course. 


Number 

of 
lectures. 


Professor. 


>> 

03 
O 


Eh 






>> 




Lec- 
ture 
room; 


FIRST CLASS. 

Social economy 


20 
] 20 

f '' 

32 

36 
39 

20 
20 

20 
20 

18 


Gide 












3.30 
S.30 


G. 


Applied mechanics, hydraulics, 


Rabut. ... 








1.30 
3.30 




G 


steam engines, and other ther- 


Walckenaer... 
Rechmann 


3.30 






G. 


mal motors. 

Agricultural and urban hydrau- 
lics. 

Political economy and finances. . 

Administrative law 




1.30 




1.30 


M. 


Colson 




8.30 




8.30 


M, 


Chareyre 

Mathis . . 


1.30 




10 


M. 


German: 

Engineer students 






10 




M. 


Outside students 


Mathis 








8.45 




P. 


English: 

Engineer students 


Gamier 










10.30 


M. 


Outside students 


Garnier 




10 


i 




M. 


Military instruction (outside 


Chambeau 




3.15 









G. 


students). 


















SECOND CLASS. 

Applied mechanics (hydraulics).. 
Metal bridges 


20 
16 
22 
35 
35 
33 
36 
40 

20 
20 

20 
20 
19 
12 


Rabut 








1.30 


3.' 30' 
1.30 


8.30 


'i.'30 
3.30 


G. 


Resal 




3.30 
1.30 




P. 


Masomy bridges 


Sejourne.. 








G. 


Maritime works 


de Joly 




1.30 
3.30 




G. 


Inland navigation 


Dusuzeau 










M. 


Railways 


Fouan 

Colson 


8.30 




8.30 




M. 


Political economy and finance 


8.30 




8.30 




M. 


Administrative law 


Romieu 

Mathis 

Mathis 

Garnier 


1.30 

3 

4 


8.30 




G. 


German: 

Engineer students 








M. 


Outside students 












M. 


English: 

Engineer students 






3.30 
4.30 
3.15 






P. 


Outside students 


Garnier 












M. 


Military instruction 


Chambeau 












M. 


Electrical laboratory 


Picou 
































THIRD CLASS. 

Applied mechanics (strength of 


36 

24 
30 
26 
10 
J 32 

1 9 
30 
20 
17 
12 

20 
20 

20 
20 
20 


Resal . . 






10.15 






10.15 


P. 


materials). 
Materials of construction 


Mesnager 




10.15 
8.30 




10.15 
8.30 


P. 


Methods of construction 


Felix Launay. 

Heude 

d'Ocagne 


io.'i5' 






G. 


Highways and tramways 




10.15 


P. 


Topometry and earthwork i 










G. 


Applied electricity 


Guillebot de 

Nerville. 
Picou 


[8.30 
1.30 






8.30 






G. 






1.30 








Mineralogy and geology 


De Launay 

Gide 


P. 


Social economy 






3.30 


G. 


Architecture 


Bormet 






8.30 






M. 


Sketches of machines 


Pillet 








1.30 


2.15 




German: 

Engineer students 


Mathis 










G. 


Outside students 


Mathis . . . . 








1.30 




M, 


English: 

Engineer students 


Gamier 






3 
4 






P, 


Outside students 


Gamifir 












P. 


Military instruction 


Chambeau 


3.15 










P. 

















1 The day and the hour will be given later. 



THE LIBRARY. 



' The school possesses a library in which is found an exceedingly 
valuable collection of works pertaining to the science of engineering. 
The origin of this library is coeval with the school, but the library 
was not really formed as such until the Revolution, when the Na- 
tional Assembly decreed that all the valuable scientific and literary 
collections of the religious establishments which had been suppressed 



38 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS^ FRANCE. 

should be distributed among the larger institutions of learning of 
France. The Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees was included among 
these institutions and received its share of the collections. To this, 
as a nucleus, has been added from time to time the library of the 
founder of the school, Perronet, in 1793; that of the inspector of 
^studies, Le Sage, in 1810; and that of the director of the school, 
Baron de Prony, in 1839. The library of the school to-day embraces 
about 100,000 volumes and its archives contain about 10,000 manu- 
scripts, many of which are exceedingly rare and valuable. The 
library subscribes to 140 periodicals, both French and foreign. 

Catalogues. — Three catalogues of the librar}^ have been printed 
and are distributed to all the engineers in the active service of the 
corps des ponts et chaussees, permitting them to grasp with very 
little work the entire bibliography on any subject that is available 
in this large library, which gives them an almost complete bibli- 
ography on any engineering subject. The library includes technical 
works of value, remarkably complete, of both ancient and modern 
writers. Engineers of the service are, in addition, kept up to date 
as to the new accessions of the library by an accession list published 
bimonthly in the Annales des Ponts et Chaussees. The advantage 
of this publicity regarding the contents of the library is made addi- 
tionally valuable by the regulation which permits any engineer to 
draw from the library for his use an34hing that he may desire, with 
a few exceptions which are made in regard to exceedingly rare or 
valuable works which are not allowed to leave the library. This 
permits the engineers of the service to obtain for their use literature 
on practically any subject that may arise in the course of their work. 
Over 2,000 volumes are thus sent out annually for use in connection 
with the public works. A copy of this catalogue was obtained and 
is now on file in the library of the United States Engineer School, 
No. 016.620 P232. E. F., 3 volumes. 

Gallery of models. — The school is liberally supplied with models of 
existing engineering structures and with scientific collections of 
various kinds. These are kept in the halls of the school, where they 
can be readily inspected and studied by the students, and form a 
valuable adjunct to the course of instruction as illustrating lectures 
in the engineering and scientific courses. The engineering models 
are constructed to a convenient scale and many of them can be 
operated and taken apart for the information and instruction of the 
students. In addition to these models there are a great number of 
plans of works which, studied in connection wiXh the models and the 
lecture notes, are of great value to the students in the preparation 
of their projects. The following collections constitute the museum 
of models, scientific collections, and apparatus pertammg to the 
school : 

1. A miiieralogical collection. 

2. A collection of materials of construction. 

3. A collection of surveying instruments. 

4. A collection of models and designs of certain public works. 

5. A laboratory of electricity for practical exercises. 

6. A collection of physical and chemical apparatus for use in the preparatory 

course. 

Laboratories. — The laboratories in connection with the school are 
in two parts. The chemical, physical, and electrical laboratories are 



SCHOOL OF BEIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PAEIS, FKANCE. 39 

installed in'^'the scliool building proper; and the laboratory for the 
physical and mechanical tests occupies a separate building in another 
part of Paris. The chemical laboratory is a satisfactory one and is 
sufficient for the amount of chemical knowledge required in a civil 
engineering course. The electrical and physical laboratories are 
small, but are well equipped and are sufficient for an engineering 
course when taken in connection with the electrical shops and labora- 
tory of the School of Mines. The laboratory for mechanical tests is 
an establishment well equipped and adapted for its use in connection 
with an engineering school of the highest order. The principal 
apparatus and appliances to be found in this laboratory are as 
follows : 

For compression tests: 

One hydraulic press of 14 tons. 

One Amsler Lafont press of 30 tons. 

One hydraulic press of 80 tons. 

One hydraulic press of 400 tons. 
For tests in tension, bending, and torsion : 

One Perreaux machine for tension, 1 ton. 

One Amsler Lafont machine for torsion of wires. 

One Falcot machine, 60 tons. This machine is arranged for compression tests 
upon bridge members. 

One machine for bending, sheering, or tension up to 10 tons on test specimens 
of stone. 

One bending apparatus for bending tests. 
For tests by shock or blow: 

One small pile driver with free fall, metallic balls of from 250 to 500 grams. 

One pile driver with a hammer 4§ kilograms. 

One double Fremont pile driver with a 10-kilogram hammer. 

One Charpy pendulum hammer with a weight of 50 kilogramis. 
For wear and tear tests and for miscellaneous tests: 

One Dorry machine for wear and tear tests by rubbing upon a sanded surface. 

One Deval machine for tests by moderate shocks and the reciprocal wearing of 
masonry materials one upon another (rattler). 

One ice-making machine for freezing tests. 

One Brinell apparatus for determining the hardness of materials by measuring 
the impression of a ball under load. 

One machine for endurance tests. 

One Schone apparatus for pulverizing tests. 
For tests of tubes under interior pressure : 

This machine can receive tubes 80 centimeters in length and 45 centimeters 
exterior diameter (sewer pipe, etc.). 
For tests of lime and cements according to the international specifications. 

One Michaelis apparatus. 

One Le Chatelier apparatus for measuring expansion. 
For measuring interior strains in transparent materials: 

One polarized light machine (Jobin) especially arranged for this purpose. 
For microscopic investigations: 

One Le Chatelier microscope arranged for photographic use and the necessary 
accessories for polishing. 
For the study of spring waters : 

One constant-temperature drying oven for the study of microbe colonies con- 
tained in water, and one sterilizer. 

The laboratories of the school receive annually more than 800 
requests for tests corresponding to the handling of from 1,800 to 
1,900 specimens and requiring more than 45,000 determinations. 
Their activity and scope is limited to tests which have some connection 
either with the public works or with the potable water supply of cities. 
Among these tests, those which are made for contractors or manufac- 
turers of products for use on such works are charged for at rates which 
are fixed by the decree of June 3, 1902. A full description of these 



40 SCHOOL OF BKIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PAKIS, FKANCE. 

laboratories, together with illustrations, is given in the '^Laboratories 
de I'Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaussees,^' on file in the library 
of the United States Engineer School, No. 620.11 D 288. 

ELECTRICAL LABORATORY. 

In 1910 arrangements were made by which the greater part of the 
practical electrical work is done in the electrical shops and laboratory 
of the National School of Mines. 

PUBLICATIONS. 

The official publication of the corps des ponts et chaussees is its 
'^annales.'^ While the Annales des Ponts et Chaussees is not, 
strictly speaking, a school publication, yet it is published in connec- 
tion therewith, and the publishing committee has its headquarters in 
the school. The journal itself is too well known to need any descrip- 
tion or praise. It is the official organ of the corps, and its object is to 
pubHsh memoirs and documents relating to the art of construction 
and to the service of engineering. It is published in two parts, the 
technical and the administrative part. The administrative part con- 
tains all laws and decrees affecting the corps either as to the personnel 
or its work. The technical part is devoted to scientific and other 
engineering matters of general interest to engineers and of special 
interest to the corps des ponts et chaussees. It is published bimonthly 
by a commission composed of the following officials of the public 
works department: 

Director of the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees. 
Inspector of the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees. 
Director of personnel and accounts. 
Director of highways and navigation. 
Director of railways. 
Director of mines. 

Eleven inspectors general of the corps des ponts et chaussees. 
All the professors belonging to the corps des ponts et chaussees in the Ecole des 
Ponts et Chaussees. 

The director of the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees is president of the 
commission, and the secretary of the school is its secretary. Two 
engineers of the corps des ponts et chaussees act as assistant secretaries. 

BUILDINGS. 

The school is located in an old building at No. 28 Rue des Saints 
Peres, Paris, France, with its laboratories for testing materials in a 
separate ^oup of buidilngs at No. 3 Avenue D'Jena. 

The main building of the school is at least 150 years old and can 
hardly be said to be a suitable structure for so celebrated and dis- 
tinguished a school as the one that occupies it. It formerly belonged 
to the Fluery family of France and was confiscated as the property of 
an emigre at the time of the Revolution. It has been occupied by 
the school since 1845, and although it has been changed considerably 
in its interior arrangement it is much the kind of building that 
usually results from adapting an old residence to the needs of a school. 



SCHOOL OF BEIDGES AND HIGHWAYS, PAKIS, FKANCE. 41 

The building is not fireproof and in case of fire it would be prac- 
tically impossible to save the exceedingly valuable Hbrary which is 
located on the third floor and in the attic. The library, cspeeially, is 
handicapped not only as regards safety but also by lack oi room and 
the necessity of storing so many of its books in the attic. 

Floor plans of the building accompany this report and show the 
distribution of space. 

The laboratory for testing materials is located at No. 3 Avenue 
D'Jena. The buildings were built in 1867, and although the buildings 
are in excellent condition yet they are hardly large enough for the 
purposes intended. This laboratory is constructed on the site of an 
old quarry in which an underground room was discovered so far below 
the surface that the temperature is practically constant winter and 
summer. This cave has formed an excellent part of the laboratory, 
as specimens for test, especiall;^ limes, cements, etc., can be kept at a 
uniform temperature at practically no cost. The temperature can 
be kept constant by simply lighting a few gas jets in the cold weather. 

Plans of the building accompany this report and show the distri- 
bution of space and the use to which the various parts are assigned. 

CENTRAL DEPOT OF INSTRUMENTS OF PRECISION. 

This branch of the service of the school embraces the purchase, 
repair, receipt, and test of all instruments, apparatus, or machines, 
approved by ministerial decision for the engineers of the ponts et 
chaussees in France and the colonies. In addition to that, it is 
charged with issuing to these engineers on memorandum receipt such 
measuring or observing apparatus as may be necessary in the tests 
of engineering structures. Moreover, here are received and kept in 
stock all the instruments and apparatus from engineers in the service 
who have no longer any use for them. Here they go over them and 
put them in good condition and issue them again to the service 
whenever and wherever they may be needed. Furthermore, the 
engineers of the departmental services and of the other public depart- 
ments, such as the railways, colonies, etc., frequently have recourse 
to this bureau for the testing and regulating of apparatus which they 
have acquired directly. It will be seen from the foregoing that this 
central depot corresponds in many ways to the engineer depot of the 
Corps of Engineers at Washington Barracks, D. C. 

THE DEPOT OF MAPS AND PLANS. 

This depot is divided into two sections, the photographic and litho- 
graphic laboratory and the bureau of draftsmen. 

PJiotograpMc and lithographic laboratory. — This laboratory was cre- 
ated about 1870 in order to meet the demands of the depots and of the 
school and to teach the students the practical work of photography. 
Jt has been very considerably extended in recent years, due to the 
improvements made in its location and equipment, and its usefulness 
continues, although photography is no longer taught in the course. 

Bureau of draftsmen. — This bureau, whose origin dates back before 
the creation of the school, assists directly in the work of the school by 
preparing all the designs necessary to the demonstrations for lectures 



42 SCHOOL OF BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS^ PARIS, FRANCE. 

and also in the publication of the lithographed courses. Whenever 
necessary it is used in preparing for publication the various techincal 
documents and maps pertaining to the administration of the public 
works. These documents and maps consist of the following: 

1. The outlines of the navigable waterways of France. 

2. The map of France, scale 1 to 200,000. 

3. The outlines of the maritime ports of France. 

In addition to the drawings which are required of them by the 
various services of the school, the bureau of draftsmen has also in its 
charge: 

1. The issue of drawings required by the current needs of the headquarters of 

the department of public works (copies of maps, graphical diagrams, etc.). 

2. The collection of documents concerning the railways newly opened to traffic. 

3. The corrections and changes in the map showing the ways of communication 

(scale 1 to 500,000) and the navigable waterways chart (scale 1 to 1,250,000). 

4. The corrections and changes in the maps showing the outlines of the ports of 

France. 

5. The preparation of special drawings or plans for the engineer service that 

may be necessary for making a study of the works. 

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS OBTAINED. 

The following publications pertaining to the Ecole Nationale des 
Fonts et Chaussees and the courses taught therein were obtained and 
are on jBie in the Library of the United States Engineer School: 

1. Program of Conditions for Admission to the Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaus- 
sees. No. 620.7 F815 El. • 

2. Program of the Course of Instruction at the Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaus- 
sees. No. 620.7 F815 El. 

3. L 'Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaussees. No. 620.7 F815 El. 

4. Organization of the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees. No. 620.7 F815 El. 

5. Catalogue of the Library of the Ecole des Fonts et Chaussees. No. 016.620 P232 
EP, 3 volumes. 

6. Course in Applied Electricity. No. 621.3 F815 Nl, 2 volumes. 

7. Course in Applied Electricity. No. 621.3 F815 B. 

8. Course in Geology and Mineralogy. No. 550 F815 L. 

9. Course in Highways and Tramways. No. 625 F815 EF. 

10. Course in Methods of Construction. No. 622.21 F815 EF. 

11. Course in Hydraulics and Hydraulic Motors. No. 532 F815 S. 

12. Course in Reinforced Concrete. No. 691.3 F815 R. 

13. Course in Maritime Works. 627 r815 J. 

14. Course in Integral and Differential Calculus. No. 517 F815 M. 

15. Course in Experimental Mechanics. No. 531 r815 R. 

16. Collection of Projects, Special School, 1910-11. No. 620.7 F815 P. 

17. Laboratories of the Ecole Nationale des Fonts et Chaussees. No. 620.11 D288. 

O 




Grounit Floor. 

Physical Instruments. 
Electrical Laboratory. 
Printing Office, 
Lecture Roons. 
Professors' Offices. 
Toilet, 

Small Model Rood. 
Crafting Rooa. 
SpecLiaD Rooff. 
General Hallway. 
Storerooa. 
Fuel Pooa. 
Telephone Booth, 
Vestibules. 
Architect's Office. 
Watchman's Office. 
Instnunent Room. 
Office of Caretaker. 
Model Boon. 
Chemical Laboratory, 
ti'aitlng Room. 
Storeroom. 
Secretary's Office. 
Mineralogy Museum. 
Storage Batteries. 



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MAIN FLOOR PLAN OF TESTING LABORATOPIES OF THE ECOLE DES FONTS ET CHAUSSEES. 



1. Superintendent's House. 8,9 Offices. 

2. Mechanical Wort shop. 10. Office a 

3. Drying Poon. 11. 

4. Covered Way and Sample Room. 12. 

5. Stairway to cave. 13. 
6,7 Canent Laboratory. 14. 



15. Metal Testing Room. 
Office and Storerooia. ,16. Brioli and Stone 
Greenhouse. Testing Roon. 

Lime and Cement Testing ilooBi. 17, Prepo ration Roon. 
Heating Plant. 18. Storeroom. 

Fountain. 19. Janitor's Quarters. 



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p. 42.) 




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Plan of Cave for Storage of Lime 
and Cement Br:iquettes. 

The small rectangles around 
the walls are basins where the 
briquettes are immersed in water. 



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